Here's one to feed the boys' lust for blowing stuff up.

Has anyone heard the myth that photcopier or printer toner when vaccumed up with a normal vaccum cleaner explodes and burns so fast that it can't be put out?

I work in the industry and there is an unconfirmed myth that a shop was burned down within minutes after someone did this.

I however strongly doubt this happened without an external ignition source and even then oner is just a polymer and shouldn't be that flammable.

I'll be interested to hear from anyone who has seen this

Toner comes as two different types, a mono component toner, and toner that uses a carrier, usually iron filings, the one that uses iron filings could and does some times short out a normal vaccuume cleaner, cousing sparks.
There is also warnings on toner packaging saying not to dispose toner in a fire, the reason for this is that toner is made up of very fine particles, that with the right conditions can cause a fire, so combined with the fact that there could be an ignition source, and the fine particles it could be possible.
Plus using a normal vaccuume cleaner usually takes the toner from one place, and blows it out the vent of the vaccuume every where, i wouldn't recomemd using one (speaking from experience here).

the mythbusters done a similar test using a vacumm cleaner and petrol the only way for this to work was that the collection bowl was full of gas and that the vacumm engine cover was removed and that the enging was creating a short ciciut making the gas ignite then explode.

as with toner it is flammable as a liquid and this might mork only in the same case as the petrol and short cicuit then it might ignite causing it to cathc on fire then exploding

Apparently toner is combustible!

quote:

Unusual Fire And Explosion Hazards: TONER IS A COMBUSTIBLE POWDER. LIKE MOST
ORGANIC MATERIALS IN POWDER FORM, WHEN DISPERSED IN AIR, IT CAN FORM
EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES.

The ignition source is from the vacuum motors' brushes contacting the commutator causing arcing(sparks).
http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/physics/copper/copch3pg1.html